Puff pastry empanadas we’ll leave for the next post. We’ll make a puff pastry from scratch that won’t give us any trouble to make over and over again.  Today we’ll focus on the empanadas made out of bread dough, much more versatile, easy, low-cost (depending on the filling), and hardy.

We know that empanadas are a sort of fast- food, but let’s pinpoint the meaning and origin of this healthy and delicious way to eat anywhere in the world.  They are perfect for any occasion or time, and servable cold or hot, formally or informally…and with the right technique and materials, they’re always a healthy solution.

An empanada is puff pastry dough, shortbread pastry, or bread dough stuffed with a salty or sweet filling. Meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, this is where empanadas really create a culinary world of their own. There are variations in almost every kitchen and every Hispanic country or country with Latin origin, like the Greek pita or the Italian panzerotti.

Here I’ll orient the post towards the when and why. The how is important, but at its core it’s just following a recipe that allows for little variation and is very simple. Let’s focus on the ‘when’ of the empanada. When do we prepare an empanada? And, why do we prepare an empanada?

If we use our imagination and make a few preparations we can serve empanadas at any occasion. The results will be surprising, and your guests may remember them, and the occasion, for life.  Why serve empanadas even when the situation doesn’t call for it? Because that’s the best way to surprise. If you do it well, success is guaranteed at any occasion.

We’re going to combine different fillings with different dough. Which we use will depend largely on the number of guests and the ingredients we have at the momento

Empanada de bacalao encebollado con frutos secos con masa de pipas

Empanada de atún con masa de pimentón

Empanada de lagarto ibérico con frutos secos con masa de jamón.

Empanada ratatoille con masa de albahaca

Empanada de mejillones con masa de albahaca

Empanada de bacalao con higos

Flauta de bacalao dorado

Empanadillas de cabello de ángel y crema